Shall We Dance?
by Sirius's Daughter
Summary: Fred Weasley, prankster extraordinare, has taken a HUGE liking to one Ms. Granger. Will he be able to work up the courage to ask her out?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and don't make me say it again, unless you want to see me cry.

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Fred Weasley, 18 years old, stalked onto the Hogwarts Express, lugging his trunk after him. He was in a towering mood, as his mother had forced him to come back to Hogwarts for his seventh year. He was especially angry because his mother had made George go to Beuxbatons, as she had thought that he had been too much of a distraction. He played with the small hoop earring in his right ear, the last trace of their last act of mischief together for a year.

"A distraction, my a-"

Fred was cut off in the act of swearing when he rammed into a small somebody. Assuming it was a first year, he immediately began to scramble around, saying, "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to!"

But when he picked up a copy of, "Tranfiguration for 6th Years", he looked up and looked into the teary eyes of Hermione Granger.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"It's RON!" she burst out. "He's been acting like a jerk to me ever since I turned him down on a date and he just crossed the line and-oh, FRED!"

She continued to sob, wiping tears from her cheeks with increasing regularity. Fred, feeling increasingly nervous, ushered her into an empty compartment.

"It's going to be okay, Hermione," he said soothingly. "Just, erm, ignore Ron and you can tell me if he bothers you again."

Hermione suddenly stopped crying and stared at Fred as if just seeing him.

"FRED!" she cried joyfully. She then proceeded to grab him in her trademark bear hug. He turned purple from the lack of oxygen. The reason for her enthusiasm was that Fred and Hermione had begun to become friends the last summer. Hermione then noticed that Fred resembled a grape that was on fire and immediately let go. Fred slowly turned back to his normal color.

"Fred, it's so good to see you!" she said happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Mum wants me to complete my last year of training. She sent George off to Beuxbatons. Recons he's too much of a distraction." He snorted. "Like I can't cause utter mayhem without him."

Hermione giggled and Fred felt his heart speed up, for some reason. Hermione hadn't changed a bit, except that her brown eyes had a slight sparkle to them. And there was a hint of pink on her cheeks. Oh, and her hair looked just a shade lighter.

_Wait, this is HERMIONE GRANGER we're talking about. Bossy, nagging Hermione!_ Fred thought.

"Fred, you look flustered," Hermione said, laying a cool hand on his face, her face concerned. "Are you alright?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Me, not all right? You're joking," he said, grinning his trademark grin to hide the fact that his heart was going a mile a minute. Hermione laughed and hugged him just as the door flew open. Ron stood there, his face dark red and his mouth twisted into an ugly snarl.

"So, you turned me down for one of the twins?" he sneered. "I knew you liked them, Hermione. I can't blame you. But I can blame YOU, Fred."

A/N: Okay, if you can't already tell, I hate the thought of Ron and Hermione. Hope you like it! Flames will be used to make toast.


	2. Chapter 2

Me: Okay, because he isn't in the story, and I felt sorry for him, HERE'S GEORGE!

George: -bows-

Fangirls: -scream-

George: All right, first is **hypercutie05: **Well, just don't tell Ron that. He's convinced that they're perfect for each other, as you'll be able to tell from this chapter.

**brunetteheartsredheadsandskittles: **I'm hurt! You only like it! Just kidding, I'm feeling the love.

**foreverinlovewiththatboy:** Yeah, Fred doesn't deserve 'Mione, but don't get the wrong idea. I don't like her like that.

**moony2002: **Yeah, it's SWEET!

**Lady Shannon of RosePeak: **Well, m'lady, we're glad you love it.

**kunphuzed21: **It'll be longer, we swear. Hey, props for your awesome name of awesomeness!

**nehimasgift**: We got the earrings to feel closer. I send my love that you were sad that I wasn't in it.

**liberty-phoenix: **Here's that chapter you were looking forward to!

**denimojo: **That's why it's called fan FICTION. And she didn't fall into his arms, she just told him what was wrong!

**Sakura-jr17: **Yeah, that's Ron for ya!

**Insanepants: **Well, I can't blame you for hating him, he's a right stupid git for hurting a girl like he did!

**Wryn Flyn: **Yeah, it DOES have promise!

And last but not least, the icing on the cake, the bee's knee's, the cat's meow:

**Kara Corrine: **Yeah, that's a good one!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, I would have bought a penthouse overlooking either Leavesdon Studios or all of…someplace.

"Now hold on a minute there, little Ronniekins," Fred said, quickly shaking off the fact that Ron had completely stunned him.

_Ron can be so possessive over a girl… _he thought.

"How can you _blame me _when it's your fault that she's upset and doesn't want to be with you?" he asked, frowning. "I mean, come on. Why would I 'steal her' from YOU?" he finished, using air quotes.

Ron looked livid, and moved toward Fred, his hands wringing thin air. Hermione's dark brown eyes widened. She then whipped out her wand and cried, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

Ron's arms were immediately pinned to his sides, and his legs slammed together. He fell to the floor.

"Touché," Fred said, as Ron glared daggers at him. He then took his wand out of his pocket and said, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Ron began to float, and Fred and Hermione walked out of the compartment, talking and laughing. They found Harry and Ginny sitting in a compartment with Luna and Neville. Ginny and Neville were sitting very close, as they were going out. Fred knocked on the sliding door before sauntering in with a petrified and floating Ron following him, glaring at his back. Hermione was next to him, smiling a wide smile. Harry looked up at the sound of the compartment door sliding open and jumped to his feet at the sight of the floating Ron and giggling Hermione.

"Fred, what happened to Ron?" he asked, gesturing to Ron while, oddly enough, glaring at Ron. Fred's eyes took on a joking gleam.

"Let's just say Ron had a run-in with an angry witch," he said, glancing at Hermione, who blushed. Ginny grinned and spoke up.

"Well, I can't say that I blame her, seeing as what Ron said was unforgivable," she said, shooting a glare at Ron. Fred's curiosity burst.

"What did he say!" he said, finally saying it. Hermione sighed.

"Sit down Fred," she said. "It's a LONG story."

"I'm in no hurry," he said, and eased himself onto a seat, stretching out his legs. Hermione sat across from him and started the story.

"Well," she said. "It started last summer when you and George spent those two weeks in the shop…"

**FLASHBACK**

_Hermione's POV_

I was so excited to be at the Weasley's for the summer again! I couldn't wait to see Harry, Ron, Ginny, and all the rest of the Weasley's. The day I got there, though, I noticed that there was something funny about Ron right away- the way he had immediately offered to help me with my bags, taking the heaviest ones and leaving me with the lightest ones. The way he always got my chair for me. The way he glared daggers at Harry for one millisecond when Harry got the seat next to me. It was like that for the first week, and then Ron dropped the load on me- he asked me on a date.

"Hermione," he said, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Yes, Ron?" I asked, somewhat agitated, as he had just interrupted me from my book.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked suddenly. He looked at me for my response. I dropped my book.

"Um, Ron?" I said hesitantly, not sure how to put it. I loved him dearly, but just as a friend, nothing more. I sighed.

"I love you, Ron, but as a brother, nothing more, nothing less. It just wouldn't seem…RIGHT to go out with you. It would seem incestuous when you think about it, because you're like a brother that I never had-"

Suddenly, his hand shot out and the back of his hand struck my face. My eyes widened as I stared at him. He then grabbed his wand and I tensed, getting ready to duck and run. But instead, he pointed it at the door and muttered a few words, the door closed and locked, and the room became quiet. TOO quiet. There was no sound of Mrs. Weasley bustling around to get things ready for Bill and Charlie, who were coming that night. No sound of Harry and Ginny playing one-on-one Quidditch and Ginny asking Harry about Neville. That's when I realized that the shouting was coming- and come it did.

"HOW LONG, HERMIONE?" he began to yell. "HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO REMOVE YOUR DARK SUNGLASSES OR WHATEVER YOU'RE WEARING THAT'S MAKING YOU SO BLIND AND SEE THAT WE BELONG TOGETHER? WHEN WILL YOU SEE THAT!"

"Now look, Ron, that's going just a bit too far-"

"JUST SHUT UP! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I LOVE YOU! WHO ARE YOU DUMPING ME FOR! WHO!"

That's when I started to laugh. It just sounded exactly like a soap opera from where I was sitting, and it was hilarious. It was, that is, until Ron struck me again on the same cheek. Now THAT hurt deeper than any of the words that were spewing from his mouth, and I lost my temper. I stood, and said in a deadly calm voice, "Ronald Billius Weasley, you are accusing ME of dumping you for someone? Who would I be going out with? Would I be having a secret relationship with Harry or something?"

Now, right there, I had to laugh a bit. The idea of Harry and I having a relationship without Ron knowing is, actually, quite laughable. But then, I noticed Ron's neck coloring.

"Ron?" I said quickly. "You know I was-"

"I'LL KILL HIM!" he roared, and charged into the door, fell over, got up, undid the Locking Charm on it, opened the door, and ran out.

**END FLAHSBACK**

Fred was rolling in his seat, laughing at the last part. Hermione blushed and glared at Fred, whose breath hitched.

"It ISN'T FUNNY, Fred!" she wailed. "And THEN he was convinced that I was going out Bill and Charlie, just because I hugged them when they came in and Charlie hugged back and Bill started talking to me about the bruise on my cheek- I mean, HONESTLY!" she humphed, and sat back in her seat with a huff. "Thinking I was part of a…a…LOVE TRIANGLE with people who are twice my age just because they showed concern about a small bruise!"

"Yeah, a small bruise that covered almost half of your face," Harry muttered under his breath, choking back a laugh.

That sent Fred into conniptions. He rolled out of his seat and onto the floor, tears of mirth streaming down his face.

"H-How did y-you get rid o-of i-it?" Fred finally choked out, hiccupping after his laughing fit. "Ah, my ribs," he wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

"Well, it's your own fault, Fredrick Weasley!" Hermione giggled at Fred's red face. "Your mother got rid of most of it, there's still some that covers about half of the side of my neck. Apparently, when she Healed it, it ran away," she said, and giggled. Fred finally regained the use of his lungs and asked, "Why would Ron think that you and Harry were going out?"

"I have NO clue," she said, just as the train pulled into the Hogwarts station. They quickly threw on their robes and, Unfreezing Ron, raced off of the train and into an empty carriage to start a new year, filled with, well, UNUSUAL surprises.

A/N: WEEEEEEEEEE! IT'S DONE! It's been a while, so PLEASE don't hate me! ALL REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED!


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